First clinical experience with cardiac magnetic resonance guided typical atrial flutter ablation with the integration of active catheter tracking and electro-anatomical mapping

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background In our university hospital, we previously implemented cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) guided typical atrial flutter ablation in a pre-existing MRI suite which was transformed into an interventional cardiac MRI (iCMR) suite. Purpose To describe our first clinical experience with integration of active catheter tracking and dedicated electro-anatomical mapping (EAM) system for the treatment of typical atrial flutter in a transformed pre-existing MRI suite. Methods Between February 2021 and December 2021, all consecutive patients planned for CMR guided typical atrial flutter ablation were included in this analysis. The procedure was performed under general anaesthesia. Feasibility and safety of active catheter tracking and the integration with a dedicated EAM was evaluated. All patients provided written informed consent. Results In total, nine patients underwent CMR guided atrial flutter ablation. Procedural characteristics are presented in Table 1. In all patients, both active catheter tracking and the integration with EAM were performed successfully. Bidirectional cavo-tricuspid isthmus block was achieved in eight out of nine patients and confirmed by differential pacing using intracardiac electrograms and EAM. In one of these eight patients, the registration of intracardiac electrograms was not possible due to technical problems and the patient was transferred to a conventional electrophysiology lab to complete the ablation following our predefined bailout procedure. Seven out of nine patients were in sinus rhythm at the start of the procedure, one in nodal rhythm with atrial bigeminy, one patient required electrical cardioversion for atrial fibrillation prior to the procedure. No periprocedural complications occurred. Conclusion CMR guided typical atrial flutter ablation in a transformed pre-existing MRI suite using active catheter tracking and a dedicated EAM system is feasible and safe based on this small population. It allows for detailed visualisation of catheters and individual patients anatomy. Further studies in larger patient populations are required to evaluate whether iCMR is cost effective and can improve clinical outcome of typical atrial flutter ablation and other arrhythmias.